Ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus of heavy ordnance.



A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE. AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS 0F HEAVY ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.24,1914.

Patented June 27, 1916.

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A; T. DAWSON & I HORNE. AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS 0F HEAVY ORDNANCE.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, i9l4- 1 ,1 88,631 v I Patented June 27, 1916.

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A. T. DAWSON & J. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS 0F HEAVY ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1914..

1 1 88,63 1 Patented June 27, 1916.

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F B W M ka a; Jar" wry/Marx" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, OF WESTMINSTER, 'LONDON, AND JAMES HORNE, OF

BARROW-IN-FURNESS, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WEST- MINSTER, ENGLAND.

AMMUNITION HOISTING AND LOADING APPARATUS OF HEAVY ORDNANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.

Original application filed December 31, 1912, Serial No. 739,438. Divided and this application filed March 24, 1914. Serial No. 826,861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR DAwsoN, knight, and JAMES HORNE, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, at Vickers House,

.Broadway, l/Vestminster, in the county of London, England, and Naval Construction l/Vorks, Barrow-in-Furness, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ammunition Hoisting and Loading Apparatus of Heavy Ordnance, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ammunition hoisting and loading apparatus of the kind in which the powder charges and the projectile are raised in lower cages from the magazines to a working chamber, wherein the said powder charges and projectiles are transferred from the lower cages to intermediate or waiting receivers and thence to the upper or gun loading cage by which they are carried to the breech of the gun.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide improvements in the mechanism constituting hoisting and loading apparatus of the above stated kind.

According to this invention means are provided whereby the powder holder of the gun loading cage can be moved bodily onto the projectile tray of the gun loading cage, so that the charges can be rammed therefrom into the gun. In an alternative arrangement the powder holder as well as being capable of movement to bring it onto the projectile tray for ramming the charges into the gun, is also movable so that it can be brought into line with the powder receiver in the working chamber, thus enabling a fixed waiting receiver for the powder charges to be employed in place of the usual movable receivers.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is an end elevation showing a constructional form of our improved gun loading cage. Fig. 2 is a partial plan of the working chamber shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and tare views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 showing another constructional form of the gun loading cage, and, Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the upper part of Fig. 3, showing the powder holder in the displaced position.

A is the working chamber that moves with the turret during training, B is the shown in Figsl and 2 the powder holder B is supported by two pairs of parallel arms I) pivoted at Z) to the body of the cage B and at b to the holder B; this arrangement permits of the holder B being moved bodily with a parallel motion (after the projectile has been rammed into the gun) until it rests in the projectile tray B as shown in broken lines at the upper part of Fig. 1. The lower half charge is then in a position for ramming'without requiring to be manipulated in any way, the upper half charge being afterward permitted to fall into the ramming position by the manipulation of the usual doors by a lever B". A handle B is provided for moving the powder holder B to and from its loading position on the projectile tray, the said handle releasing the spring bolt 6 to unlock the holder B from the cage. The said bolt normally engages in a lug 12 in the cage B and retains the holder B in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. After the powder charges have been rammed as aforesaid the holder B is returned to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and the bolt 5 then reengages with the lug b to lock the holder B to the cage B. A spring B or other device is provided to balance the holder during its movements.

In the example shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the

powder holder B is pivoted to a carrier B tion shown in full lines at'the upper-part of F 1g. 3, with rollers thereon engaging in the lower and straight'portion of the guide,

rails b \Vhen the gun loading cage is lowered into the working chamber to be charged, a roller ,6 on the powder holder powder cage D. .It will be seen that when the roller 6 cooperates with the stop B" the rollers on the carrier are caused to 'engage with the curved portion of the guide rails Z) and the cage is thereby moved from its inclined position to thevertic'al position shown. WVhen the gun loading cage isbeing raised from the working chamber, the carrier moves 'downwardin the guides (owing to the weight of the holder) thereby bringing the powder holder into the aforesaid inclined position. The carrier is provided with an arm B to which another arm 5 on the holder B is pivoted. This pivotal point represents the center about which the holder moves from the position shown in full lines at the top of Fig. 3 to that shown in broken lines (and in full lines in Fig. 5) and vice versa, The said holder is normally connected to the carrier-by the spring bolt b actuated bythe handle B as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 2. A

torsion spring or other device may be fitted on the pivot of the holderto balance the latter. A receiver may be provided in the copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the powder charge element ina position to be 7 rammed direct into the gun.

2. In ammunitionloading apparatus, the

combination with the gun loading cage and its projectile tray, of 'a powder charge holder, levers connecting said holder to the cage, and means for moving said holder on to the projectile tray with the lower powder charge element in a position to be rammed direct into the gun.

3. In ammunition loading apparatus, the combination with the gun loading cage and its projectile tray, of a powder charge holder, a system of parallel levers pivoted to the cage and holder, connecting means cooperating between said cage and holder, means for liberating said connecting means and for moving said holder to and from the projectile tray. I

In testimony whereof we {I'l'llX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAXVSON. JAMES HORNE.

\Vitnesses HENRY KING, J NO. R. CASWELL.

commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C." 

